Hyqiene
A good bed must be able to breath, i.e. the removal of the moisture (approximately 2 to 5 dl per night) given off by the human skin when sleeping must not be impeded by moisture-impermeable layers. Thus, during its use period the lying surface is permeated by the waste substances and bacteria given off with the moisture. It has therefore been necessary to clean the breathing-active parts of the bed, particularly after a bed has been used by a sick person or in hospitals and hotels in which several people successively use the same bed. This is only possible to a limited extent with the presently used lying surface constructions, because the mattresses, which are usually very large, cannot be cleaned or can only be cleaned with considerably difficulty. As a result, e.g. in hospitals, moisture-impermeable layers of plastic or the like are by sheer necessity placed on the mattress to prevent the penetration of infectious germs. This stops the breathability of the mattress and the bed user must lie on the resulting moisture deposits, which leads to bed sores in patients. In the home, mattresses are generally not cleaned throughout the period of use which can be several decades. The same problem occurs in hotels where, in addition, beds are used by various people. The need thus becomes apparent for a mattress made in such a way that it can be easily cleaned, preferably by the user.